Maroon 5 launch summer tour, writes for new album

Maroon 5 says they're working on a new album, but before that the pop-rockers will launch a summer tour that finds the fivesome playing outdoors.

The Grammy-winning band announced Monday that they will headline the 2013 Honda Civic Tour, which kicks off Aug. 1 in St. Louis and will feature Kelly Clarkson.

"I think the live outdoor kind of summer vibe is always different than the indoor arena tour because there's less emphasis on production and more on live music," frontman Adam Levine said in an interview. "It's kind of the purist form of a tour 'cause there's not too many bells and whistles."

The 31-date tour wraps Oct. 5 in San Diego.

Levine says he and his bandmates are riding high off the success of last year's "Overexposed," their fourth album that has achieved platinum status. It features the popular hits "Payphone," ''One More Time" and "Daylight."

"It's so amazing to have an album people connect with and embrace. It's a dream come true. It's hard to believe to have lighting strike twice and three times and four times," he said. "We're having a moment. A good moment."

He also says the group is working on the follow-up to that album: "We're just getting started. We've got some great songs in the can."

"The stuff we're working on now, it definitely has gone maybe a little darker in its sound, maybe back a little bit more to what we kind of did on (our debut) 'Songs About Jane,'" said guitarist James Valentine. "But at this point we do have all kinds of different songs and it is early."

Levine is also busy balancing his life with NBC's "The Voice," which returned last week with new coaches Shakira and Usher, alongside Blake Shelton.

"It's great. Sometimes it's difficult to maneuver, but it's been a lot of success," said Levine, who will have his former mentee, Tony Lucca, open on some dates of the tour. "I'd be pretty foolish not to be happy about it."